Plomo
by LegendLover94
Summary: Leo stared at the back of her head. Her hair swayed against her back as she walked, walked away from him. She was disappointed with him, he chose a party over helping her babysit Penny. But tonight, he needs to sell his half of the 24oz bag, so he steeled himself and was an ass to her until she yelled at him to leave. He could apologize later, right now he had a party to get to.
1. When It's Dark Out

Leo stared at the back of her head. Her hair swayed and bounced against her back as she walked, walked away from him. She was disappointed with him choosing to go to a party instead of helping her babysit Penny. His parents weren't too happy about him not being there either, most of the time they have Skye come over when Penny needs to be watched as an incentive for him. It's a win-win for all of them, they get free time, he gets to spend time with Skye, and Skye gets to spend time with him and Penny. And of course, she gets paid, most of the time trying to give the money back since she insists it wasn't work, which is mostly true, until Penny needs to do something she doesn't want to. But tonight, he needs to sell his half of the 24oz bag and he can't have Skye finding out about his side business, so he steeled himself and was an ass to her until she didn't want him in the house anymore. She definitely didn't want him there after she had looked at him with hurt and anger and told him, _"Fine then go to your party and lose my number. I don't want to hear you even_ think _for next couple of months."_ He got what he wanted, but it didn't erase the feeling of dread in his stomach. He could apologize later though, tomorrow maybe, with her favorite smoothie and a movie night with Chinese food and _The Departed_ , but right now he had a party to get to.

* * *

This was not what she had imagined would happen when her dad became a congressman. Not even close to what she had imagined. This was not the boring dinners or parties he sometimes brought her to and it sure as hell wasn't the time he had let her pick the house they were to live in when they moved to D.C., no this was entirely different. This was a terrorist attack on the building her dad is in and she doesn't even know if he's ok. She has no information other than the fact that half the Capitol building is gone and up in flames, and that it was an attack from some terrorist group. Mike hadn't told her anything other than "get in the car" when he showed up to the Kirkmans' home with a horde of secret service agents to take Penny to the White House. But when Penny refused to go anywhere without her, clung to her like a koala really, they took her with them into the black SUV.

The city blurred by as they drove towards the White House, but the destruction of the Capitol Building was easy to see out the car window. The smoke coming from the flame covered rumble towered over the surrounding buildings. The news said that they were looking for survivors, but none have been reported and she knew what that probably meant. That her dad was gone, taken, and she was alone in D.C.

Penny tugged on her jacket sleeve, well technically it was Leo's jacket sleeve, to get her attention away from the window.

"When we get there will you watch _Moana_ with me?" she looked at her with wide eyes.

"Sure chiquitita, but your mom will probably want you all to herself when we get there." She bops her on the tip of her nose, earning a smile and giggle out of the little girl. She looked down at her phone to see if her older brother has called her back, nothing. Then it dawns on her that she hasn't heard from Leo since he left the house.

"Mike. Have you guys gotten Leo yet?" She asked as she scrolls through her phone to find his contact.

"No. We haven't found him yet." He turned to look at her from his position in the passenger seat, "Do you know where he is?"

"No. All I know is that he's at some party." She clicks his contact to call him, but he doesn't answer any of her three calls. "He isn't answering..." Maybe he had listened to her for once, maybe he did delete her number.

"We'll find him. He's not a master criminal." Mike said trying to get a smile out of Skye. The most he got was a small rise of the left side of her lips.

The clicking of the cameras and reporters' voices caught all their attention as the neared the White House. There as a large crowd of TV reporters facing their cameras with their back to the White House, no doubt they are speculating what has happened and if the President has survived the attack on the Capitol Building. That hope seems to be unlikely seeing as the secret service is bring Penny to the White House. It's doubtful that any of Congress has survived, she just hopes that if that is true that her dad didn't have to suffer. Skye wonders why she hasn't cried yet why when someone she loves is in trouble and she doesn't know if they're okay or even alive, she has no tears. It must be a combination of adrenaline and hope, hope that the logical thought is wrong and that her dad will survive and live a long life. She's running on the determination to get information and to find her dad, but she knows that this combination of emotions won't last her for long and she'll eventually have to crash. Whether that crash will be in the form of sleep or a mental breakdown has yet to be determined. Right now, she needs to focus on getting herself and Penny to the Kirkmans.

Mike and a small group of agents walk them from the car to the residential area of the White House. The residence is decorated exactly like one would expect the White House to be, filled with furniture and décor that has an air of simple sophistication. They walk briskly through hallways into the residence and are lead directly to Mrs. Kirkman who rushes to take Penny into her arms. Skye watches their embrace with relief, one less Kirkman to worry about. Now all she has left to preoccupy herself with is her worry for Leo. He may have been a total ass to her tonight, but she needs him to be safe.

She briefly hears Mr. and Mrs. Kirkman ask about Leo and Mike inform them that they're trying to track him down as she makes her way to one of the couches in the sitting area. Skye takes out her phone again to look if her brother has called her. On the screen is a notification of five missed calls from her brother and his five voicemails. She clicks the call back button and waits for him to answer but it goes to voicemail.

"Skye?" Mr. Kirkman asks from where he starts to sit opposite of her on the coffee table. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm ok so far. But I haven't been able to reach my dad or brother." She brushes a piece of hair that's fallen into her face to distract from the strained sound of her voice. "Do you have any information of my dad or the attack?"

"No. I'm sorry. I don't have any updates yet. I'll let you know if we find anything." He reaches to give her shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"Thank you. Um, I'll be back I need to listen to my brother's voicemails and try to reach him again." She says as she stands from the couch and walks towards the nearest bathroom. Once in, she locks the door and sits against it. Skye brings up Mateo's voicemails and starts to listen to all five. His voice is more comforting to her than she would have expected, even if he sounds a little panicked as he tells her he's coming to her. He'll be there by morning since he is coming from a meeting in Maine, but he's driving through the night and that he'll call as soon as he stops to buy a car charger for his phone that will power off in about fifteen minutes. That was thirty minutes ago and now all she can do is wait for him to call and continue to comfort herself by stroking the plush floor mat she is using as a seat.

***This story will be told through a timeline of snap shots instead of a complete, cohesive story. It will follow most of the shows events that affect Leo and it will build on existing relationships. I'm writing this story because I enjoy this show and I want to improve my writing skills, so criticism is encouraged. Reviews are always appreciated, but not needed. I will continue this story for as long as I have inspiration and will mark it complete when I lose inspiration. Also, Skye calls Penny "chiquitita" which translates from Spanish to "very tiny or itty-bitty" in English.


	2. The Lull

Noise is a weird concept. Especially when the noises are people's voices. People have the same body parts that allow them to speak, but everyone's voice is unique, like a fingerprint. It's easy to identify who someone is if you hear their voice. Leo's voice was always easy to identify, it has a rough quality to it and it always had a tone of annoyance in it when he was being scolded by his parents. At least, Skye could easily hear the undertone of annoyance in his voice through the bathroom door. She stood from her seated position against the door and glanced at the mirror to make sure she looked somewhat presentable. Her face looked paler than her olive complexion usually allowed. Her eyes were still glassy and slightly red, in combination with her disheveled hair she looked a right mess. She half-heartedly smoothed her hair out, blinked the water back from her eyes, and stepped out of the bathroom.

The atmosphere in the sitting room was more chaotic than it was the last time she was in it. What with Mike rushing Mr. Kirkman, or now President Kirkman, out of the room and Mrs. Kirkman trying to get Penny to grab some of the bags the secret service brought from the Kirkman's house and scold Leo at the same time, it added up to a hectic scene. A scene that broke quickly when the President left the room and Leo had become aware of her presence.

"Skye?" He strode towards her with his eyebrows pitched together, his tell that he's either confused or concerned. Once he stopped in front of her he pulls her closer to him by her elbow and places his other hand on the side of her neck. He ducks down a little to search her eyes for something. What he's looking for she isn't sure and right now she doesn't feel like trying piece together what he's thinking.

"What are you thinking?" He asks as he rubs his thumb up and down the side of her neck.

She looks around the room to see how many people are around them that could be listening to their conversation. Mrs. Kirkman has left with Penny into another room and two secret service agents are standing in the door way that leads to the residence, far enough away that they can't actually hear a conversation from where Leo and her stand.

"I -" She takes in a shaky breath "-I don't want to go back to my house. I don't really want to stay the night there by myself." She looks up to get a look at his face. His eyebrows are still pinched together, and his mouth is in a small frown, but his eyes are probably the worst part about looking at him right now. When she looks into them they're so full of concern and care that it makes getting out her question that much harder. The only thing that helps her focus herself enough not to start crying is the feeling of his thumb soothingly brushing against her neck.

"Do you think- "

"You're staying here. I'll tell my mom right now." He continued to look at her until she nodded. "Ok now let's go find a room to stay in." He let go of her elbow and dropped his other hand from her neck to the small of her back. With his hand pressing into her back he guided her to one of the doors that lined the walls of the residence. The first one they opened lead to a closet, but the second one revealed a spacious room with a blue/gray color scheme and a large bed positioned in the middle of the side wall. Leo steered her towards the bed and motioned for her to sit on it.

"I'm going to grab my duffle and tell my mom that you're staying here for the night." He kicked off his shoes and started walking back towards the door, but before he left the room he turned back to look at Skye, "I'll be right back, so just… get comfortable." With that he walks out the bedroom door.

She removes her shoes and shifts up the bed to rest against the pillows. The pillows are just as soft or softer than the rug in the bathroom and they rest just so that they support her back right where there has been an ache for the past week. She's just started to lift the comforter of the bed, so she can burrow further into it comfortableness when her phone starts ringing from her (Leo's) jacket pocket. The _Drake & Josh_ theme song blares through the quiet room and her heart accelerates to the point where she can feel it beating in her throat. Her hands grabbed the phone from Leo's jacket pocket so fast that she answers within a second of her fingers touching the phone.

"Mateo?" The urgency in her voice isn't hard to pick up for her or Mateo.

"Hey Skye. Who are you with right now? Your location says that you're at the White House." He sounded tired, almost exhausted. The last time she had heard him sound this rundown was his last year at university.

"I'm with Leo. You know since his dad became President, the secret service came to get Penny and I was watching her and she wouldn't leave without me so..." sighing she leaned back into the pillows and began picking at a decorative pillow, "here I am. Where are you right now? How far are you?"

"I'm almost to New Hampshire. I'm gonna drive through the night and pick you up ok? So, try to get some sleep, I'll be there in the morning."

"Do you- "breathing in slowing to calm herself she continues, "Do you think Dad is alright?" Her question is met with a long, silent pause from Mateo.

"I don't know Skye. We just have to hope ok? And say some prayers for him, he'd love it if you do that. I've got to go mija, there's a checkpoint coming up. Get some sleep." He ends the call after she replies with an I love you and tells him to drive safe. Skye doesn't know what will happen once Mateo gets here. There aren't steps for this kind of situation, no "5 things to do if Your dad is caught in the middle of the worst terrorist attack since 9/11 and you're alone in D.C. until your brother drives through the night to get you" tutorial. Buzzfeed and YouTube don't cover this situation and she doesn't know what to do. She needs to know if her dad is alright, but next to no one has any new information yet and those who do probably can't share it with her.

Skye gets up off the bed in search for the remote to the TV that rests on top of the dresser across from the massive bed. Opening each drawer in this room isn't going to work what with there being built in storage drawers all along the walls, so she settles on searching the bed side table's drawers. She finds the remote in the third drawer she opens and turns the TV to the first news station she hits.

The reporter stands in front of the ruins of the Capital Building recapping the information that's been in circulation since the building was attacked. It was a terrorist group, worst attack since 9/11, no reported survivors yet but the search is still on yada yada. She was paying such close attention to the news, searching for any updates that she didn't hear Leo come back and set his duffle on the floor at the foot of the bed. However, she did feel him come up behind her when he set his hand on her hip and took the remote from her grasp. She turned to look at him but was met with a view of his neck instead of his eyes. Their position was almost like a side hug but with Leo's front facing her side and the close proximity made her have to look up to make eye contact. When her eyes did finally reached his face, she saw that his attention was on the TV, turning it off and then tossing the remote on to the bed.

"My mom said that we have to sleep in different rooms, but I'm gonna stay in here so we can watch some movies on my laptop." He moved to crouch over his duffle and takes out a pair of black boxers and a long-sleeved shirt. He paused to look at the clothes in his hand for a second then tossed them to Skye. She caught them in surprise and looked from the clothes to Leo, who wore a small, amused smile.

"What? Did you think I'd make you sleep in your jeans?" He looked back to his duffle and started to rummage through it again. "You can change in the bathroom next door and I'll change in here."

"Why do I have to walk all the way to the next room? Why can't you?" she asked sarcastically.

He turned to face her, still in his crouched position, with a raised eyebrow, "There's a lock on the bathroom door. That's why _you_ need to change in there." With a roll of her eyes she turned to walk to the bathroom.

He called after her as she left the room, "And when you come back here knock first. No peaking." Skye let out a small snort at that comment as she entered the bathroom.

It was nice that Leo had told Skye to change in the bathroom, or the room with a lock, as he put it. She always did enjoy when his protective side came out, tonight it just so happened to come in the form of him not wanting anyone to walk in on her changing, i.e. where his new attention to locks came in. Even though she's sure that all the rooms in the residence probably have a lock or safety reasons, or was it a safety reason to not have a lock on all the doors? She shook that thought from her mind since that mental debate could go on forever and refocused her attention on changing into the clothes Leo gave her. The boxers fit her hips perfectly but were a little loose on her legs and the shirt was comfortably baggy on her. The shirt's hem extended almost to the middle on her thighs, covering all but an inch of the boxers and the sleeves went well past her finger tips, but it was unbelievably comfy. The shirt was softer than a lot of her pajama shirts, just proving the theory that men's clothes are more comfortable than women's.

Skye did knock on her way back into the room, but instead of knocking and waiting, she knocked as she opened the door. It wasn't as if Leo would be naked went she walked in, he had less to change out of then she did and taking in what he is wearing now, less to change into too. He was shirtless and wearing a pair of grey sweatpants that seemed to hang low enough on his hips to expose the top inch of his boxers. His back was turned to her as he was focused on the screen of his laptop.

"Are you feeling a comedy, action, or sci-fi movie first?" He asked with his eyes still glued to the screen.

Skye took a few moments to look around the room to contemplate the question. On the bed there was a large, soft looking blanket and two glasses of water placed on the side table that Leo must have gotten when she was changing. She moved towards the bed and stopped just behind Leo and stood on her toes to look over his bare shoulder at the screen. "Can we watch _Treasure Planet_?"

"Sure, that'll be first, then maybe one of the _Ocean's_ movies?" Leo turned to look at Skye but paused when he took in her appearance. He gave her a longer than necessary once over before he settled his eyes on hers with his lips quirked into a half smile.

"What?" she said with an airy laugh. She wasn't sure exactly what was going through his mind, but she had a good idea that it could be one of three options, one of which she decided she won't mind. And based on the look he was giving her that she could only compare to the looks men gave in movies and TV shows, she thought it might be the one she hoped it was.

"You just look cute in my clothes. They dwarf you." Yeah not the one she was hoping for, but better than nothing. With another roll of her eyes she pushed his shoulder lightly, climbed onto the bed, and settled herself in the middle of the bed under the large blanket. She patted the spot next to her for Leo to join her, which he did after he made a big fuss over the fact that she only left him with the 'edge' of the bed. As if he didn't have practically five feet of room to lay on from her position to the actual 'edge' of the bed. He still decided to lay down right next to Skye, reaching over her waist he propped the laptop up against a pillow and settled in a loose spooning position behind her.

She had doubted that she would be able to fall asleep with the worry for her dad constantly at the back of her mind, but the constant worry must have drained her because Skye only managed to keep her eyes open for two quarters of the movie before she fell asleep. Her position must have contributed to her easiness to be soothed to sleep because the combination of the fluffy pillows, the soft blanket, and the warmth of Leo wrapped around her in almost a backwards hug lulled her to sleep. Leo managed to keep his eyes open through the whole movie and had managed to turn off his computer but was too tired and comfortable to move from his position, so he pulled Skye closer and drifted off to sleep not long after.

That was how President Kirkman found them an hour later. He had come to check on Leo after he addressed the nation and settled the situation with Iran. He decided not to wake them since he knew Skye would need as much sleep as she could get to get through the next couple of days. They looked so peaceful with Leo hugging her to his body with one of his arms wrapped around Skye's middle and the other coming from under her to rest on her hip. The President closed the door quietly and slowly walked away from the room to the room he shared with his wife, who hopefully would over look Leo and Skye's impromptu sleepover.


	3. These Things Happen

The material of the dress was more comfortable than she had expected it to be. The sleeves were made from a warm black material and were three-quarter sleeves, so that the bracelet with her father's fingerprint is on display. The skirt of the dress flared-out to hit right above her knees and was made of a flowy black fabric. She had on her matching black stockings and black heels, then there was the black veil. Her favorite part of her outfit. It served as a barrier, behind which reporters and politicians can't see her glassy eyes or any tears that may fall today. Skye takes deep, calming breathes before she looks away from the mirror, gathers her purse, and leaves her room. The edge of her veil brushes against her shoulders with every step she takes down the stairs towards Mateo and his fiancé, Monica. They were waiting for her at the front door, both dressed in formal black attire, each looking correctly depressed for today. Her dad's memorial service, that thought hasn't fully hit her yet. It has entered in her thoughts time and time again in the last week and has been swirling around in her head since, but never stuck long enough for her to actually react to it. Nothing other than helping Mateo plan their dad's service has kept her attention for more than a few seconds. Well maybe-

"Skye." Monica reaches for her elbow to get her to focus on them, "You ready to go?" She and Mateo look worried, not a new look on them when she is concerned.

"Yeah. I'm ready." Skye starts towards the front door to get into the car they ordered for today, a large SUV, black of course.

The clack of her heels on the concrete bring her some reassurance, that sound has never failed to fill her with power and confidence. While it doesn't bring her mood to the point it normally would, it serves to help alleviate some of her anxiety and lessen the pit in her stomach. Growing up without her mom meant that her dad needed to fill both roles and one of her favorite "mom quotes" he always said was, "Women do everything a man does, but backwards and in high heels." It always made her feel powerful, like she could do anything, could get through anything life throws at her. Right now, she can and will get through this day, she will make her father proud. And with that thought she steps gracefully into the SUV with her head high.

* * *

Leo sat in the backseat of the Escalade in his slightly itchy black suit bouncing his knee, willing time to speed up. They had to wait for the secret service to give them the green light to go into the church and right now he was pretty close to saying screw it and going in on his own, but seeing as he would only get about two feet before he was hauled back into the car, he decided that it was a stupid plan. He knew he should have gone with Skye to the funeral, but when he told Mike this he didn't get the reaction he thought he would. It wasn't that he wasn't allowed to go with them, but that it might impose on the Rodriguez family, something he hadn't thought of. Normally he isn't such a huge asshole, but he never felt like a bigger asshole when he realized that he didn't even think of how they would feel if he tried to "tag along" as Mike had put it. He had been so focused on the fact that he needed to help Skye through this, that he never thought to ask if she wanted his help. She had Mateo after all, someone who actually knew what she was going through, compared to him, the clueless asshole. Skye and Mateo had never been super close to each other growing up, a fifteen-year gap and different mothers can do that to you, but Skye probably needs her brother more than she needs a friend right now, more than she needs him right now.

"All clear. We can head in now." Leo had the door open before the secret service agent sitting in the passenger seat could finish his sentence.

* * *

Bouquets of white roses lined the entrance of the church the Rodriguez family went to every Sunday. The white exterior and the white roses combined to make a beautiful picturesque setting, one fit for a wedding. But today wasn't a happy occasion, today was the day that Héctor Banuelos Rodriguez would be laid to rest after dying a violent death, or that's what the reporters standing a hundred feet away from the church are saying. Skye Hermila Rodriguez knew this was a sad day and it would be followed by many sad days and moments, but her and her family want to celebrate his life. That's why they choose a picture he was laughing in for his obituary, to remember the good times with him. Yet another reason why Skye wore the veil, to prevent anyone seeing the tears that are already filling her eyes as she greets the people from just inside the entrance of the church. She doesn't think she has ever said "Thank you for your condolences and for coming" so much in her life, or ever. She isn't much of a 'hugger' and she has probably never been hugged so much in one sitting.

Since they got to the church there has been a steady stream of guests entering the church, but now there is a lull in arriving guests. Once she sees Mike she realizes why there's a lull, President Kirkman is about to enter the church. Mike and the other agents that lead the way into the church give her a nod of recognition before President Kirkman comes to give her a hug.

"Skye" He hugs her then goes to shake Mateo's hand "I'm so sorry that both of you have to go through this." He is followed by Mrs. Kirkman giving her a loving hug and Penny clinging to her legs. Skye reaches down to rub Penny's head and give her as much of a smile as she can manage.

"Thank you, Mr. President, please sit where ever you and your family are comfortable." Mateo gestures to the many aisle of pews.

"Thank you." President Kirkman gives them both a smile and heads further into the church with his protection detail and wife at his side with Penny trailing behind looking at something behind her. That thing being Leo slowly approaching Skye with a few agents trailing after him. He somehow manages to look concerned and lost all in one expression. He starts to open his mouth to say something, but She is hugging him before he can get out whatever he wanted to say.

"Thanks for coming." Her words come out muffled from where her face is pressed into the junction of his neck and collar bone.

"I wouldn't let you do this without knowing that I'm in your corner, well technically I'll be in the pew behind you, but you know, your metaphorical corner." That gets her to snort. He always has the ability to brighten up her mood even if it's just for a second.

"About that," She pulls back from him slightly to look into his eyes, "can you sit next to me?"

"You sure? I don't what to impose on you guys, this is supposed to be family time after all."

"You won't be, it's just," she swallows a little, "Mateo has Monica and I don't really have anyone but you." He gives her a sad smile but nods his head yes. Maybe it's a little too much to say that all she has is him, that could have been manipulative, but then again, it's pretty much the truth. Yeah Mateo worries for her and about her, he helps her if she needs it, but he has his own life and a fiancé added on to the mess he inherited. He's mourning their father, taking custody of her, and moving his whole life around. While she is one of his priorities, she isn't the first, probably the third if she were to be honest. She understands, Monica is going to be his new family and then they'll have kids and it will just be her. She'll see them sometimes, but not enough and right now she needs someone that will be there for her completely, like Leo always has. She knows she's getting a little ahead of herself but that's the way she thinks. She's a planner and an organizer, thinking ahead is what she does best. It's one of the few things she has in common with Mateo, a Rodriguez family trait for sure.

"You ready to go to our seats?" Leo draws her out of her thoughts. It's then that she realizes that they never moved from their embrace. Looking towards the entrance shows that there isn't any more guests coming up the front steps.

"Yeah. Let's go sit down."

Mateo and she make eye contact as Leo guides her to the front pew with a hand on the small of her back. She hadn't even noticed that Mateo and Monica had left her and Leo to go to their pew, she can't help but feel a little annoyed that they left her without saying anything. She'd probably feel worse about it if Leo wasn't here with her, at least she was left with someone and not just left to herself.

As they settle into their pew, she looks up at the picture of her dad set up on the altar. The only thing up there seeing as there wasn't a body to recover. That's why she can't bring herself to call this a funeral, there isn't a body to bury or ashes to bless. It's a memorial service because all they can do is remember him, since there isn't anything of him left to grieve over at a funeral. So they decided to fill this service with how he lived his live.

Through out the service Leo sat next to her with her hand clasped in his; during the priest's words, every speech and story her Tíos gave, and all the wild stories her dad's college friends told, some getting laughs out of her and her brother. Within the first few minutes of the service starting Skye pulled their joined hands into her lap, so Leo would alternate between rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand and letting her play with his fingers. It was a good source of comfort and a welcomed distraction, her mind halfway between focusing on the speakerl and halfway thinking about what her reaction to this happening if the circumstances were different, if they weren't laying to rest her father's memory. She was able to distract herself all the way through Mateo's speech, only tuning in to hear how much their father influenced him and how he wants to live his life the way he would be proud of. In what seemed like both a short and long amount of time to Skye, it was her turn to share and honor her father's memory. With a hard squeeze to Leo's hand, Skye rose from her seat and walked up the stairs of the stage, directly to the microphone.

"I'm gonna do something a little different." She looked out at the faces all waiting for her to voice her despair, "Instead of giving a speech, I'm going to sing a song from one of my dad's and I's favorite shows to watch together."

She looks at Leo. He gives her a comforting smile and a thumbs up like the adorable dork he is. Then she starts. She doesn't sing in front of people often, especially on stage in front of a small crowd, but her father always loved her voice when she sung. He said that she had great control of her voice when she sang, and that's why she chooses to sing. For her it was like giving him a personal goodbye that only he and her knew the full meaning of, like a horribly sad inside joke.

 _We carry on through the storm_

 _Tired soldiers in this war_

 _Remember what we're fighting for_

 _Meet me on the battlefield_

 _Even on the darkest night_

 _I will be your sword and shield_

 _Your camouflage_

 _And you will be mine_

 _Echoes of the shots ring out_

 _We may be the first to fall_

 _Everything could stay the same_

 _Or we could change it all_

 _Meet me on the battlefield_

 _(Meet Me on the Battlefield by Svrcina)_

What followed Skye's father's memorial service was a long drawn out reception with finger food and a heavily depressing atmosphere that would continue to haunt the Rodriguez family house in the coming weeks. In those weeks Skye would rely on Leo for any communication outside of Mateo and Monica, which would test their bond and Leo's determination of helping Skye through this difficult time. But Skye was sure that she could pull through this with the help of Leo and the new friend she has made in spite of this tragedy.

 _I had a lot of trouble completing this chapter due to laziness, school, and difficulty defining what Skye's emotions would be in this chapter and point in time. Please feel free to R &R, criticism is welcomed, but if you're just trolling honestly safe your time because I'll just read your comment and roll my eyes. Hasta luego!_


	4. Invasion of Privacy

The End of March, 2 Months after the attack,

A Month and a half after Héctor Banuelos Rodriguez's memorial service

"Instead of using the definition of a derivative, you can use this way since it takes less time and work." Skye points to the writing, that can only be described as chicken scratch, in Dominic's calculus notebook. She was sitting on the cold stone of the stair's cement railing on the steps of Leo's school with his friend Dominic, who is absolutely hopeless in math.

"If you do that then it's easier, and if you need help you can just get my number from Leo and ask me."

"What does Dominic need your number to ask you?" Leo asked while coming up behind them.

"He sucks at math. Like he's a new level of low on the challenged at math scale." Dominic lightly shoves her shoulder as he grabs his backpack.

Leo's mouth quirks up into a half smile, "Yeah, I can see that." Leo walks over to stand just behind the rail Skye is sitting on and throws his arm around her shoulder. "It's not just math either. You should hear about this one time that He mixed up a blender-"

"If you finish that sentence, I will kill you."

"I'd pay to see you try to get past his security." She jumped down from the railing to walk with them towards the secret service agents hanging by the car.

"I'll see you guys later."

"Bye Dominic." They wave bye to Dominic and step into the black escalade. Leo turns to face Skye instead of the window to his right.

"So, are you coming home with me to actually spend time with me or spend time with Penny?"

"Hey! I'm gonna spend time with both of you, but I am gonna give Penny a little more attention since I see you more often."

"You know, I never thought my little sister would steal you away from me."

"Oh shut up." Skye rolls her eyes and levels him with an esasperated expression. "You can't take away a best friend so stop pouting and let me entertain your little sister for a while."

"Yeah, yeah." He leans his head back against headrest and the rest of the car ride is filled with small talk between the secret service agents and the two teenagers in the back scrolling through their phones. When they arrive at the Whitehouse, Skye of course has to go through security and bag check. Watching a security guard go through bags is normally not too embarrassing, but when you have both birth control and tampons in your bag and the security guard is an older man, it gets embarrassing. Skye normally blushes when she is flustered, but now she can tell even her neck is red with the warmth that fills her face and neck because of the look the guard gives her at the birth control. If he would stop judging that would be just great, who is he to think anything? She can do that she wants, although she's only on it for the acne benefits, the guard could be less judgey. She must be showing some of her annoyance and embarrassment on her face when she meets him after security because Leo is looking at her like he's trying to figure out exactly what has her like this, but before he can ask a small person bolts towards them and launches itself at Skye.

"Skye!" Penny yells from her koala-like hug position on Skye.

"Oof. Hey Penny, so what are we doing today? Movie, dress up, or adventure?" She rubs Penny's back as the girl loosens her tight hold on Skye.

"Dress up! Can we do Cleopatra again? Please?" Her puppy eyes are in full use the moment she looks up at Skye. She's already working on dragging Skye towards her room, but Skye holds her ground.

"Sure Penny. Go make sure your room is clean before we go back to Egypt ok?" Penny nods eagerly and rushes to her room as Skye turns back to Leo with a small smile on her face. Penny never ceases to lift Skye's mood, but when she makes eye contact with Leo, he's looking at her with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. His question is clearly displayed on his face, so she levels him with the same smirk and answers him.

"When we dress up, we pick a time or place and I teacher about the time, culture, and geography." Skye shrugs and shifts her weight so that one hip is slightly out as she rests most her weight on one leg, "It's fun and educational."

Leo shakes his head with a small laugh, "Only you would somehow make dress up a history lesson."

"Ok one: history is cool to learn when you aren't getting tested on it, and two: Cleopatra is the essence of girl power so Penny should definitely learn about her."

"I don't know, I think you probably give Cleopatra a run for her money." Skye rolls her eyes but smiles at this and turns away from Leo to walk to Penny's room.

"Do your homework so by the time I'm done with Penny we can actually do something." She calls over her shoulder at him.

"What about your homework?" She looks at her over her shoulder and answers his question with a look he knows too well. "Of course." Leo groaned and rolled his eyes, "You already finished it." With that he turns to go to his room, and she walks into Penny's' slightly cleaned room.

Dress up time with Penny lasted for about and hour and a half. An hour and a half of Skye acting as Penny-Cleopatra's handmaiden and tutor. Skye always did both their makeup and hair to fit the time period and character as much as possible. The Costumes they had accumulated were either from party stores or styled from pieces found at the thrift store. Overall, they both fit the part enough for their game, with Penny in a party store Cleopatra outfit with the wig and all, and Skye in a diy outfit of a fitted wrap skirt and a white top tied just under her chest. Both of them had the signature Cleopatra eyeliner. Penny had learned everything about Cleopatra and Egypt that Skye could teach her and got to play a queen, a win-win as Skye told Leo and the Kirkman parents when they first walked in on their dress up, but that time they where "in" sixteenth century England. After each of their adventures Penny either gets bored or tired so they stop, and she'll take a nap or watch a movie while Skye goes to spent time with Leo. Today was no different except that when Skye left Penny's room to go to the bathroom to change out of her costume, Leo saw her and snorted. That's right, snorted.

"Don't. say. A. word." She gave him her best murder look and went into the bathroom. Looking into the bathroom mirror, Skye tries to find what would make Leo snort at. Sure, it wasn't the best costume, but Skye thought it looked good on her. The skirt was earth toned and went down to below her knees in the back, but the wrapped part exposed up to the middle of her right thigh and the white top was knotted under her chest. It showed her hourglass, leaning towards pear, body shape. Her makeup was beautiful and perfectly cleopatra and her dark hair was parted in the center. Whatever. Leo must be on something, because as far as Skye was concerned, she looked good. With that thought, she changed back into her school uniform, put the costume back in the costume bin in Penny's room, and headed into Leo's room. of course, she knocked as she opened his door and plopped into the beanbag chair next to him.

"Okay so what are we doing?"

"You changed back into your uniform?"

"Yeah. The Cleopatra handmaiden costume isn't the most comfortable outfit on the planet. So what are we gonna do?" Leo gets up to get something out of his TV stand's drawer.

"Wanna do a throw back and play Crash Bash and Sly Cooper on my old PS2?"

"Oh my god yes. How is that a question you even need to ask?" With that he tosses Skye a controller and starts to setup the console.

After an hour of playing the PS2, Leo needed to finish up a beat he's been working on, so Skye laid across his bed just listening and watching him work. This is one of the few times she can admire him without him noticing. He was always to focused on his computer to know that she was analyzing him as he worked. Whenever he was really focused on something his left eyebrow would raise just a little bit and he'd chew on the inside of his cheek whenever he was trying to figure something out. Watching him work never failed to calm her and make her feel at peace, it probably helped that his expressions are cute. She knew that having even the slightest bit of romantic thoughts about your best friend is a big no for a teenager, Skye just figured she'd entertain them and see where they went. If they continued and grew then she'd tell Leo, but if they were only temporary then she would just let they run their course. She wasn't about to over react about small feelings she's only had for two months. They continued in their positions until about ten when Mrs. Kirkman said it was too late on a school night for them to be hanging out. Plus, Skye had a curfew at 10:30 so she should probably leave before Mateo calls her asking why she isn't back yet, or worse Monica calling her in a panic asking her why she is worrying them by being late. A secret service agent, Mike had called him Jeffreys, took her back home and she spent the rest of the night watching home videos that she eventually fell asleep to.

The next day progressed as normal, an iced coffee from the bakery for breakfast before school then four long hours of English, physics, chemistry, and government classes followed by lunch. Skye always sat with a group of girls that are in the SWE club with her. She has been friends with them since she enrolled here because they have most things in common and they don't like or cause drama which is rare in an all-girls private school. After lunch she went through two hours of calculus and human geography, then she was finally on her way home and free to veg on the couch for a three-hour _Narcos_ marathon. Or that's what she was supposed to do before her phone rang with a call from a random number.

"Hello?" Does everyone else answer calls from unknown numbers awkward too, or was it just her?

"Hey Skye. It's Dominic, Leo said I have to call you because I'm the hopeless one, total bullshit if you ask me-"

"Dom you ARE hopeless!" That got a snort from Skye.

"Shut up Leo! Anyway, we're in the Whitehouse's library studying for math and chemistry. Do you think you could come and help?"

"Uh sure, I'll be there in twenty or so minutes. Did Leo leave my name at the gate?"

She was not about to go all the way to the White House to not get let in, especially when she's taking the metro. Skye turned the other direction to make her way to the line that'll take her towards the White House and started searching for her MetroCard. She really shouldn't have moved it out from behind her phone case, but she did and now she needs to find her wallet at the bottom of her bag.

"Oh thank god. Yeah he did. Thanks Skye, you're a lifesaver."

She would have hung up right then and there, but she didn't have any free hands and her phone was wedged between her cheek and shoulder, so she just waited for him to end the call. Apparently, he thought the same thing as her because he never hung-up.

"Why were you so nervous to call her? I know our generation is all about text but come on man." That was definitely Leo's voice.

"Dude she's hot, funny, and smart. That's why I was nervous."

"I know what you mean. Her in that little skirt is a sight to see. Never knew I had a thing for schoolgirl outfits until I saw her." That's a voice that she doesn't recognize and honestly doesn't want to get to know.

"Could you not?" Leo's tone has changed from joking and light to annoyed and low. He sounds aggravated, even more so than when Skye almost broke his headphones.

"What? She is." Said the same voice with an underlying amount of attitude that she knew would piss Leo off.

"Yeah Leo. I know she's your best friend, but there is no way you don't agree." Said a new voice that seemed to be a bit farther away from the phone then the others.

"Just stop talking about her like that ok? And stop staring at her whenever she's around." Now Leo was getting close to loosing his shit. Skye could just tell by his voice that he was clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, not unsimilar to how she was reacting to what this douche was saying.

"It's a little difficult when she wears the plaid skirt and knee highs. And don't even get me started on the little heels. I wonder what she would look like in them bent over-"

He didn't get to finish what was sure be a lude description of her that would make her want to punch this guy right in the face, because there was a loud sound like a chair's legs scraping across the floor and then some raised voices. Leo's cool had definitely snapped from that last comment because she could hear jumbled up sounds of Leo yelling at the guy mixed in with everyone else yelling at them to back off each other.

"Ok Leo chill. We'll stop. Besides, Bryan you went way too far." Dominic finally chimes in sounding a little out of breath.

"Just be glad we have to do a project together Bryan, or you wouldn't be able to walk tomorrow." Yeah Leo sounded way passed pissed at this point.

"Sorry Leo." So apparently it only took Leo going at this Bryan guy for him to apologize for being a jerk.

"You should be apologizing to Skye. It's her you were objectifying like a piece of meat."

"Ok, let's just review quietly before Skye gets here. I don't think anyone wants her to know about this when she gets here."

With Dominic finally calming the situation down a bit, Skye hung up and boarded the metro towards the White House. It took about ten minutes to get to the entrance she needed but it took ten more minutes to go through security and get escorted to the library by secret service. The library looked as expected with old dark wood furniture and large bookcases lining the walls. It even smelled similar to an actual library. She saw the group of guys right as she walked in. acting like she knew nothing of what happened earlier was hard because she wanted to glare at whichever of the two guys sharing the table with Leo and Dominic was Bryan, but she knew she couldn't so she just acted as pleasant as she normally is.

"Hey guys."

A chorus of heys followed her greeting. The only seat left at the table was between Leo and Dominic. Something tells her this wasn't a coincidence. And it definitely wasn't because the second she sat down and got her stuff settled, she looked up and made eye contact with the blonde boy sitting diagonal from her. Leo must have been watching her settle in because when he saw this he grabbed the leg of her chair and pulled it towards him, and once she was what he deemed close enough, he settled his arm around the back of her chair and gave the boy a cold stare that made him look quickly back at his work. This must be the Bryan guy. Although she may want to punch this guy in the face and she may hate the situation, she isn't complaining about Leo showing his protective side. She is not gonna lie, him pulling her closer to him as a back off action to Bryan made her smile a little and may have made her want him to show this side of himself more often, because the chair thing was very attractive in her opinion. But right now, is not the time to internally fawn over Leo, she came here to help Dominic, so she might as well do that and finish her homework as well. Turning towards Dominic, they got started on the tutoring session that lasted for about three hours. Luckily Bryan and the other boy who she found out was named Allton, left two hours in when they finished the project they had with Leo. They left as quickly as possible, even the secret service agents hanging around the entrance seemed glad they were gone.

"Thanks again Skye. I owe you."

"Just get me a pack of mini m&ms, they're my weakness."

"Weird price but ok. I'll give it to you the next time I see you or just give them to Leo to give to you. See ya."

Her and Dominic waved bye to each other, then she turned back to finish packing up her bag. Leo was hanging back waiting for her to finish so he and Dominic just did the "guy nod" as a goodbye. Once she finished packing everything up and hoisted her bag onto her shoulder, she up looked at Leo too see why he was waiting for her.

"I'll walk you back to your car."

"Jeffreys can walk her Leo, your dad wants to see you." Mike interrupted as he strolled into the room to collect Leo.

Leo looks like he's about to protest but before he can she steps up to him and hugs him goodbye, "I didn't drive here anyway. Bye Leo, see you later."

The next day Leo found out about the rumors around who his "real" father is and they didn't talk for the next week. Well more like Leo had told her what was happening and then never answered her calls or texts. He didn't want to see anyone, and she could never catch him after school because he left as soon as his school's bell rang, and she never left her school fast enough to get to him first. This went on for about a week until Friday night when she opened the door to Leo and Mike.

"Leo?" Before she could wave them in, Leo stepped forward and captured her in a long, tight hug.

"Hey Skye." He mumbled into her hair where his face was pressed into the top of her head. She nodded to Mike as a greeting and continued to run her hands up and down Leo's back comfortingly. They stayed in that position quietly for the next couple of minutes, until Leo pulled away and she ushered them into the house.

"What do you need right now? Distraction, pick-me-up, or comfort?"

"Distraction and pick-me-up." Skye smiled in response, she had just the thing.

"I have an idea. I've been wanting to do this for a while so you can help me, but it does have some rebellion in it too." She says as she moves into the kitchen towards the cupboard under the sink and pulls out what she needed. She turns back towards the island where Leo and Mike are and holds up the cans of black spray paint with a bright smile.

"What the fu-"

"Skye-"

"Relax. We're spray painting my room, not public property."

"Do you have permission for that?" Mike is cool, but even he has his limits it seems. And her asking Leo help "deface" her room is where that line apparently starts.

"No. that's where the rebellion comes in. Besides Mateo won't care, He and Monica are in Maine for the weekend. Plus, I need a change in my room and my therapist said to try and draw to relax. I'm being a multitasker and doing both." This gets a laugh from Leo and an amused smile from Mike.

"Whatever you say."

While Leo and Skye went up to her room, Mike stayed in the living room to watch tv if they kept the door open of course. Even without an actual parent they couldn't get away from the "keep the door open" rule. Once they're in Skye's room they start to move her dresser from the front wall of her room. She had already taped the wall off so that the spray paint won't get on the other walls and she opened the windows so the fumes wouldn't overwhelm them.

"So we're gonna do your whole wall?"

"Yepp. Now get to spraying."

Spray-painting a room turned out to be more fun that she had expected. She didn't want an actual design drawn, just scribbles and whatever came to mind. it was exactly what both of them needed. They both hadn't laughed as hard or as long as they had for the last week and it felt good. But now that they had finished, they were lying on the floor of her room listening to music with their eyes closed.

"I just want you to know that if you wanted to talk to me about it you could have, but you don't have too. I won't bring it up again." Skye said after a long lull in the conversation.

"I know you won't." Leo said softly followed by a long pause. "Thinking that he wasn't my dad. That the possibility he wasn't was a lot, but Mike actually helped me put some things in perspective."

At least he had someone that helped him clear some of his thoughts. Skye just wanted him to be able to talk to someone about it, it didn't have to be her, just someone so that Leo wouldn't hold onto any unnecessary negative thoughts.

"Even if the results were different, he'd still be your dad. He just wouldn't be your biological father, father and dad are two very different things."

"That's pretty much what Mike said. It made me realize the same thing, if the test results were different then it wouldn't change. He's still my dad."

They went back into silence for about nine more songs before Leo spoke quietly to her again.

"Does thinking about your dad still hurt?"

At first Skye wasn't sure how to answer him. Of course it still hurt, he was in her life not two months ago and now he isn't anymore. But it also isn't as raw of a wound anymore. She no longer feels empty every time she looks anywhere around their home.

"Yeah. But now instead of just crying, I can smile when I remember him too." She has a sad smile on her face when she tells him this and he responses by reaching out and holding her hand. His silent way of saying he is here for her.


	5. everythinggoes

So it turns out Mateo did care that she spray-painted her wall. He cared a lot actually. And the expression on his face right now is… interesting to say the least. It's like if anger, frustration, exasperation, sadness, and constipation were all rolled into one emotion. He's bouncing his knee so fast that the fork resting on her plate was vibrating. Skye knew that he wouldn't be happy, but she honestly didn't think it was this big of a deal. It is just paint after all; not like she ruined his car.

"Why did you ruin your wall? What was the point of doing it?" Skye thought it was pretty obvious why she did it, so at this Mateo probably just wants to argue for the sake of arguing.

"I-"

"And HOW did you get spray paint if you're underaged?"

Shit. She didn't think he would think of that. "When I went and bought it the guy didn't ask for my ID or anything." Monica snorts in response and that just seems to make Mateo even more agitated.

"Oh come on Mateo, it isn't like she set something on fire or broke in somewhere. She just spray painted a mural on her wall."

"Abstract mural." Skye mumbled the correction.

"It doesn't really matter what you call it Skye! You ruined the wall in your room without permission. Dad would have never let you do this."

"No he wouldn't of wanted me to Spray paint it, but he wouldn't have cared if I painted my wall. He would have let me do it if helped me relieve stress! Which if you remember, is what my therapist suggested."

"She suggested drawing. NOT defacing our house!"

Our? Is he really saying our? He's barely lived here, and he didn't even visit often before all of this. Sure he called Dad three times a week, but he visited max two times in the three years we've lived here.

"I've literally lived here longer than you. I know you own it now, but this is more my home than yours. You've barely even been here."

"Well we live here now. So you're gonna have to get used to the change." Mateo's phone started ringing. Before he answered it he looked back to me and said, "you're grounded for a week."

Skye looks to Monica as he walks away from the table, "honestly, I'm surprised It's only a week."

She shakes her head a little with a smile. "He's mad, but I think he's just trying to establish himself as the authority figure." She collects her and Mateo's dishes to put in the sink and Skye follows her with her own dishes. "I know you guys aren't close. But he is trying, this is new to all of us."

"Yeah I know." As annoyed as she is, she'll admit that he is trying. Fifty percent effort, but he's trying.

"Go get ready. I'll take you to your appointment since I have to use the car today."

Getting ready is probably a loose term since she's just going to put on her set of soft sweats and put on sunscreen and brow gel. She heads back upstairs trying to decide if she should braid her hair or just leave it in the bun it's in now.

* * *

The office always smells like eucalyptus oil. Dr. Pahal said that she picked eucalyptus because it soothes physical discomforts and that it makes people feel like they're at a spa. Her logic is that mental health, specifically one's mental comfort, is just as important as their physical health. So why should therapy not be seen as a mental spa? Well Skye has a few reasons why not. Therapy is more draining than it seems. Experiencing something and then having to talk about it to someone and delve into it is exhausting. She gets that you have to talk about traumatic losses, but a lot of the time she just wishes she doesn't have to talk about it again. She really hopes the eucalyptus oil is working today, because last week Dr. Pahal and her agreed to talk about her family bonds, so she's gonna need an excess of oil today.

Skye gets comfortable on the small couch across from where Dr. Pahal sits in her chair, with the oil diffuser that sits on a table behind the couch Skye is on and running.

And so, let the emotions being.

"Last week we both agreed that we'd talk about your family relationships and where you think you stand in them. Is there anywhere you'd like to start?" A good amount of silence followed her question.

The only relationship Skye has with a family member that would benefit from therapy is her relationship with Mateo. "Do you mean like bad or good relationships?"

"Whichever you want to discuss." She hates it when Dr. Pahal does that. Sometimes she should just give a straight answer.

"I think Mateo is a good one to start with. I feel like my other relationships and their problems will steam from that." Or at least it feels like Mateo and her relationship is the center of the mess.

"Ok do you want me to ask prompting questions or do you just want to talk?"

"Prompting."

"When you were younger, what did you think of Mateo?"

"I thought he was so cool, but he was already twenty-three when I was eight, so we almost never interacted. Now that I think about it, he was more of a distant uncle than an older brother. He come back home during holidays and some random drop ins, but he was already in law school when I was a kid and before that he was a teenager and didn't really want to spent time with a baby."

"Describe your emotion to him visiting as you grew up."

"Always happy. And excited. I don't think I've ever actually changed much in relation to spending time with him. I want to, but when ever we actually do it's either awkward or ends badly." She shifts to lean more forward. "It's like I'm an only child. I every time there's a chance for us to spend time together or do something that normal siblings do, I get so excited, deep down." She gestures towards her chest. "I don't know how to describe it other than I feel in deep down, like I want it so badly, to experience all the sibling pros and cons my friends talk about, but it never happens. We never connect." She swallows. "Honestly, sometimes I wonder if he even thinks of me as a sister." She's never said any of this to anyone before.

"In what way do you mean?"

"I don't think he knows me. And I don't think he ever really tried too. Since we're so far apart I feel like we never really developed that bond. Like I said it's like I'm an only child, but not. It's weird. I always wondered why we didn't bond at all. I never wanted to ask anyone about it."

"Well what questions did you want to ask?" Dr. Pahal asks as she shifts in her seat.

Almost instantly, a lump forms in her throat. This is why she never asked. Because whenever she tried to form the words, she could feel the wetness in her eyes and the dry lump in her throat forming. "Is-" She pauses to take a few deep breaths and try to blink away her tears. "Is the wedge between us because I have a different mom? Did he even like me for the first years of my life? Because he's barely in my childhood videos."

The session went on form there touching on some aspects of her and Mateo's relationship in relation with their circumstances.

"I think you need some family time, but easy into it. Maybe start with more of a group activity and slowly work into building a relationship with your brother one-on-one. We'll touch more on this next week. Which reminds me," She stands up to walk Skye out into the waiting room, "would you mind moving our weekly appointments to Sundays instead of Saturday?"

"What times are available? Because I have church on Sundays." She asks as they reach the receptionists desk. Dr. Pahal goes behind it to look through her appointment schedule on the computer.

"Do Sundays at 10:30 am work for you?"

She normally goes to the ten am serum, so now she's gonna have to wake up and go to the 8:15 one.

"Yeah that works." Oh god. She's definitely going to need some coffee.

She tried to have a "group activity" where her and Mateo would spend some time together, but in the car back home Monica was talking about how it was date night for them tonight and how excited she was to try the food at the restaurant they are going to. So She decided to wait until tomorrow night.

Skye hated Monday mornings. She wasn't a morning person to begin with, so waking up the morning after sleeping in during the weekend is always the hardest. She saw Mateo heading out as she walks down the stairs to go get her usual breakfast burrito and coffee at the café by school.

"Hey Mateo." He turned to her. "Do you and Monica want to watch _Chernobyl_ series with me tonight? I was going to make snickerdoodle cookies too."

"Sure. I'll probably have time for that tonight, but text me to remind me around lunch ok? Bye Mija." And he was out the door.

She went to school as usual and by lunch she had texted Mateo, reminding him of later and asked Leo if he wanted to do homework with her after school.

Mateo just answered with the thumbs up emoji. She chuckled a little as she was sure to tell him that that response not only showed his age but also the fact that he and Monica need to have a kid to match his lame dad aesthetic. His response? Another thumbs up. She actually snorted at that.

"What are you snorting about?" Jewel asked her in between bites of her lunch.

"Mateo just texts like a middle-aged man, so what are you guys doing after school?"

"We're gonna go to the café and work on homework. Are you gonna hangout with Leo?"

As she was asking, Skye's phone light up with a notification. The notification banner showed Leo's reply: "Can't I'm busy."

"No. I'll probably just go home. I'm hanging out with Mateo and Monica later tonight."

"You should come with us to the café. We can work on the human geography project." Vanessa said as she sat down at their lunch table.

"Ok. Meet at the café or the front?"

"Front." They both replied.

Skye started texting Leo back. Joking seemed like the good way to try and ask what he was busy with. She didn't want to seem to intense by asking what he was doing, so she went with: "Lol did you accidently delete a whole song again?"

After she puts down her phone, her, Jewel, and Vanessa talk about how many fingers you could loose and still be able to function normally and wait for the rest of their friends to make it through the lunch line and get to the table. When Christine sits down at the table, her phone lights up again: "No I'm just busy."

She doesn't send a reply, but it is weird to her that he didn't want to tell her what he was doing. Normally if you wanted to or even didn't care about telling someone you were busying doing something, and that person guessed the activity wrong, you'd probably correct them and just say what you're doing. Which Leo didn't, he just continued with being busy. Maybe he's just being weird. Leo gets moody sometimes and whenever that happens, she just gives him his space. She just continued with her day and spent that night trying to keep Mateo from eating all the brownies himself.

The rest of week was much of the same. Tuesday and Wednesday nights Mateo, Monica, and her finished watching the _Chernobyl_ series. Mateo let her do some homework with her friends even though she was still grounded for spray-painting her wall, she just couldn't go any where besides that. Today is Friday, the day of her ungrounding. Skye barely noticed being grounded to begin with, it isn't like she has much of a life during the weekdays anyway, but it is nice to know she has the option again.

She had asked Leo if he wanted to hangout again, but he was busy again so she's hanging out with Jewel, Christine, and Elora. Her and Elora are friends, but they're not close. They're the type of friends that hangout in groups, but they're not about to call each other up to hangout alone. She doesn't know what they're gonna do tonight, but if it includes food then she doesn't care too much what they'll be doing. They told her to wear shoes she can run in, so it should be interesting.

Sorry it took so long. I lost inspiration, moved into another year of my chemical engineering courses, and got an internship; so I'm glad I got it out at all. Also, the lowercase and nonexistent spacing in the title is intentional. Hasta luego!


End file.
